


Bespectacled

by roaldcore



Series: What it's like to be enamoured with Hinata Shouyou [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: First years as third years, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Pining, oiyama is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22983433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roaldcore/pseuds/roaldcore
Summary: As much as Tsukishima complains and puts on a sour face, deep down he’s relishing in the fact that he’s absolutely wrapped around Hinata’s finger and he could imagine no better place to be.In which Hinata has a spring glow up and Tsukishima has been pining on him since second year, so now he's devastated.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei
Series: What it's like to be enamoured with Hinata Shouyou [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779751
Comments: 40
Kudos: 510





	Bespectacled

**Author's Note:**

> Tsukishima is morosexual and Hinata is the biggest himbo he has ever met : ))
> 
> also i barely proofread this so..sorry about it sodfjsodfs
> 
> edit: i forgot to mention that Hinata's glasses are based off of [these](https://animalcrossingpocketcamp.gamepedia.com/Autumnal_Glasses) glasses from acpc :) i have them in game and i was like wait a damb minute-

It’s the beginning of third year and Tsukishima maybe has a crush on Hinata Shouyou. Just maybe. Perhaps.  
  
Something was definitely blooming at the end of second year when they had went to Nationals and had pulled off a perfect play and Tsukishima felt something in his chest that was more than just exhaustion. It was also blooming a little bit before that too. Hinata was cute. Annoying and dumb, yes. But cute nonetheless. During second year Yamaguchi had gotten a job and so he wasn’t walking home with Tsukishima as often, so a couple of months after the year had started, it had become routine for Hinata to be his walking partner. They lived in roughly the same direction, though Hinata lived farther, over the mountain. Tsukishima had grumbled about it in his special Tsukishima way at first, but not long after, walking with Hinata became normal.  
  
Yeah, sometimes Hinata was shout-y and loud and much too excitable but Tsukishima learned to embrace it with time; it’s who Hinata was and at times it could be endearing having something so positive near him. It helped mellow him out if anything. And interestingly enough, he and Hinata had had fruitful and interesting conversations on several occasions; usually about volleyball— Hinata had gotten much better at strategizing—and sometimes about a manga or show they were surprisingly both into (they both had a secret love for shoujo manga), or just general musings.  
  
After walking home together almost every day, something was bound to happen. And that something was the flowerings of affection in Tsukishima’s heart. At first, he ignored it, convincing himself that he was mistaking affection and flutterings of the heart for something else. Maybe gas. Then, before he knew it, it was starting to consume him. He did his utmost to not let it show, and he had gotten pretty good at it too. However, the second he would lay down to sleep each night, his mind would reel over the events of the day, reading into each and every interaction with Hinata; things that made him smile, or laugh, or ignite something in his chest, Part of him wondered if Hinata felt those same things, but he waved those thoughts away in an instant. No way.  
  
Sometime afterwards, Nationals came and went, and then second year was over. It was only a month or so break, but it felt like forever. At the beginning of the break, Tsukishima had told himself _it’s only a month_ so he made no plans with his friends, instead opting to laze around til school was to resume. The novelty wore off after a few days and he invited Yamaguchi to hang out like they always did and while yes, he did have fun, something felt missing. That something being Hinata. He missed their daily walks and hearing his voice and seeing his blinding grin. But so far Hinata hadn’t invited him to hang out, and Tsukishima was much too antsy to say anything that would indicate that he _wanted_ anything.  
  
Hanging out with Yamaguchi was plenty fun and he cherished it but it was disappointing not having Hinata around for that month. However, it did give him time to do his best to stamp out any feelings stirring inside of him that withstood Hinata’s absence. By the end of the month, he had thoroughly convinced himself that his crush on Hinata was over; only ever having had existed because of proximity. He had quashed it. Overcome the beast.  
  


* * *

That all came crashing down the second he laid eyes on Hinata in the club room the first day back. Kageyama and Hinata had arrived first that morning. Neither of them were captain, but they always arrived first, so it was only sensible to give them reign over the club room keys. Tsukishima had arrived only a few minutes later to see the duo tidying a few things up in the room.  
  
“Hey,” Tsukishima greeted quietly, eyes downcast and still a bit sleep-heavy.  
  
“Morning,” Hinata’s voice came. It was just a little deeper than before. Tsukishima would know after having had analyzed that damned voice a thousand times over in his head, storing it away in his mind under _things he loved_.  
  
Tsukishima finally looked up as he placed his bag and jacket in his locker to see Kageyama give him a light wave, and Hinata shoot him a smile while he pushed his glasses up his face.  
  
_Wait. Glasses._  
  
Tsukishima did a double take.  
  
_GLASSES?!_  
  
His breath hitched and as much as his rational, thinking brain told him to _stop staring you idiot_ , Tsukishima couldn’t tear his gaze away. Hinata Shouyou had glasses. And he looked absolutely stunning. They were a warm brown which matched his eyes, and rounded but not quite circular and they were _perfect_. “Glasses,” he breathed stupidly. He had no business getting flustered over _glasses_ because he had his own pair for god’s sake; it shouldn’t be a weird kink of his.  
  
“Oh,” Hinata’s face lit up, “Yeah I got them over the break. Turns out my eyesight is bad, but I’m allowed to play with contacts like the Grand King.” Hinata shrugged before putting his own things in his locker.  
  
Tsukishima had to all but slap himself to get him to stop staring at Hinata like an absolute creep. Yes, Hinata looked like the most attractive thing Tsukishima had seen in his entire life but _he had to get dressed_.  
  
The three of them got changed slowly as the other team members trickled in— Yamaguchi having had arrived a few minutes after Tsukishima. They shared idle conversation, swapping recollections of their month away, and Tsukishima took that time to greedily steal glances at Hinata all the while, soaking up his energy like his own caffeine. Hinata’s hair was a bit longer than before, and probably could be tied up with a little effort. Noted. After four or five more glances, Tsukishima concluded that Hinata had definitely packed on a bit more muscle and grew a tiny bit taller in the time away. His shoulders were more square, and his back just a little broader. His biceps and chest filled his t-shirt snugly, and his thighs had filled out too.  
  
It was when Hinata had tugged his shirt over his head to change into his practice clothes that Kei had to suppress a gasp. With his arm’s lifted over his head as Hinata struggled (dumbly) with getting his head out of the shirt, Tsukishima could spot a small _something_ on the left side of Hinata’s ribs, just under his armpits. A tattoo. It was of a bundle of small flowers— Baby’s Breath, if Tsukishima’s minuscule knowledge of floral varieties was correct. The tattoo spanned about as long as Tsukishima’s middle finger and it was _oh so pretty_. Finally having had removed his head from the shirt, Hinata’s arms came down in front of him while he folded it haphazardly.  
  
And there was the second tattoo. Five black crows mid-flight and soaring a little bit off of Hinata’s shoulder blade; each of them maybe a little larger than a quarter in size. After what seemed like years of staring, Hinata started to turn towards him; probably feeling the heat of Tsukishima’s gaze, and the blonde had to tear his gaze away as fast as possible, hoping his face wasn’t as red as his heart was pounding.  
  
“You gonna get changed Kei?” Hinata asked simply and Tsukishima looked back to him to see the redhead slipping his glasses off of his face and placing them on top of his semi-folded shirt in his locker.  
  
“Kei?” Tsukishima all but chokes out while hurriedly pulling on his practice tee. Since when were they on first name basis?  
  
“Yeah,” Hinata shrugged, “we’re friends aren’t we?” They were friends before though. Tsukishima decided not to answer in favour of focusing on getting ready and _un-focusing_ on Hinata.  
  
The redhead had light conversation with their other teammates while he finished tidying up his things and Tsukishima saw him pull a small container out of his backpack that he quickly identified to be a contacts case. Although Tsukishima wasn’t necessarily looking at the boy, his attention was still on him. He noted that Hinata’s laugh came a little easier than it had before; this time a light chuckle rather than a shriek. Also, he wasn’t scrambling for words when he answered the first years’ questions about how Nationals went, or if Hinata had any tips for the future aces amongst them.  
  
_Confidence_. That’s what it was. The air surrounding the boy was different now, anyone could tell. Tsukishima wondered what had changed over the one month that he hadn’t seen Hinata that caused this change. Maybe it was because Hinata was declared MVP at Nationals a few months previous. That would just about do it. Or perhaps he had lost his virginity in that time; that was possible. The thought made Tsukishima almost scoff though, because who would sleep with Hinata, he had no idea.  
  
Maybe he would.  
  
He doesn’t know. Don’t ask him.  
  


* * *

Being in different classes as per usual, Tsukishima had gotten a little reprieve from Hinata and all the changes about him and them bombarding his heart mercilessly.  
  
Later, practice came, and despite everything, it went fairly smoothly. Yamaguchi was captain with Kageyama as his vice, so all he needed to do for the second practice of the year was provide a little support. They were going over basics today; mostly warming up to get a feel for their new team. The third-years were split up; each practicing at what they were good at and helping the other members. Hinata was on the other side of the gym helping a couple of teammates with receives, so Tsukishima did his best to ignore him all the while. Volleyball meant more to Tsukishima now, so he would be damned if he spent all of practice pining over someone that was barely over 5’5.  
  
Having had not seen Hinata over the break, Tsukishima was unsure of how to approach the boy after practice. Were they going to walk home together after practice? Yamaguchi still had his job, and on top of that he was apparently dating the Grand King now so that was going to take up even more of his after school time. How that had happened, Tsukishima had not a clue, but he’d definitely have to ask later. Nevertheless, Yamaguchi had told him at lunch that he wouldn’t be joining Tsukishima after practice. A little part of him wanted to ask Hinata to walk with him. They hadn’t caught up in a while and as much as it pained him to even think it, he missed it.  
  
Tsukishima had been getting changed a little slower after practice, having his mind preoccupied and everything, so he was one of the last to leave the clubroom; a few of them already having had left. Maybe he was sulking just a little bit.  
  
Tsukishima was walking down the stairs off of the clubrooms building, dragging his feet a little when Hinata appeared on his right, walking his bike.  
  
“Were you leaving without me?”  
  
Just like that, Tsukishima was healed. “N-no,” he spluttered, “I just didn’t know where you were, dummy.”  
  
“You could’ve just asked,” Hinata squinted at him. Tsukishima didn’t want to make eye contact; Hinata was weariing his glasses again and it was taking all of his power _not_ to give in and find out what it would feel like to kiss Hinata and feel their glasses knock against each other. “Coach Ukai wanted to talk to me about after school practice and making sure we don’t stay too late.”  
  
“Oh,” Tsukishima nodded, “So how was your break, ace?”  
  
“Oi, don’t call me that,” Hinata shoved him lightly. He was stronger than before, and Tsukishima’s weight shifted just the slightest bit. “My break was fine, thank you very much. How was your’s?”  
  
“Kind of boring,” Tsukishima shrugged. It really was.  
  
“You could have called me, we could’ve hung out, y’know,” Hinata sighs.  
  
Could they have? “You didn’t call me though,” Tsukishima shoots back feebly, “I didn’t wanna bother you.”  
  
“Bother me?” Hinata scoffs, “I didn’t wanna bother _you_ , Kei. You’re the sourpuss here, not me.”  
  
That was kinda true. “Okay, my bad,” Tsukishima concedes.  
  
They walk comfortably for a few minutes and catch up a bit more about their respective breaks, stopping once to play with a stray cat that they see at the park. Tsukishima tells Hinata about the few things he did on the break, like go fishing with his family and see some movies with Yamaguchi. The redhead tells him about how he spent 2 weeks in Tokyo with Kozume and all the cool things he saw there. Tsukishima would feel jealous if he didn’t know that the college student was all-consumed by his love for his own boyfriend, Bokuto.  
  
“You’re kind of different,” Tsukishima blurts after a few moments of silence. They’re maybe 10 minutes away from his house.  
  
“I am?” Hinata raises an eyebrow, “I mean I guess yeah, with the glasses and everything. Is it weird?”  
  
“Wha— no? It’s not weird,” Tsukishima shakes his head, “It’s not like a bad thing. And it’s more than just your glasses. You seem confident— ”  
  
“Confident?!” Hinata’s voice positively jumps, his eyes wide as saucers.  
  
“— and I saw your tattoos. Are you a delinquent or something?”  
  
Hinata’s face goes pink and Tsukishima thinks that _there’s something that’ll never change_. “Ah— no, no no. Nothing like that,” he grins, “I just got a few on a whim when I was visiting Kenma. They’re cool right?”  
  
Tsukishima nods twice. “So is this like, your spring glow-up or something?”  
  
“If you think so. Why, do you think I’m hot now, Kei?” Hinta hides his face in his hands dramatically, feigning embarrassment.  
  
“Oh, shut up,” Tsukishima shoves his friend playfully, no malice in his tone. Hinata’s form doesn’t budge.  
  


* * *

Tsukishima ultimately concludes that perhaps Hinata isn’t all that different after all. Maybe he’s packaged a little differently, but at his core, he’s still distinctly himself; bright, bubbly, and just, _good_. His new glasses and his build and his voice and tattoos had Tsukishima sweating behind the knees now but with time, he could get used to it, and maybe after that he could shove that crush down a little further and maybe forget about it eventually. One of is few reprieves was that _at least Hinata was single_. If he had to see Hinata act romantically and fall for someone else, Tsukishima would have to go missing or something. Drop out maybe.  
  
It’s a few weeks into the new semester and Tsukishima notices that Hinata had gotten a smidge more popular in his third year. He was already somewhat well-known among their peers because of his boisterous personality, so naturally he was friendly with everyone. People knew _of_ Hinata. However, Tsukishima noticed something of a shift lately. He’d often see Hinata and Kageyama walking to his, Yamaguchi’s and Hitoka’s classroom for lunch, and through the classroom window, he could see Hinata being greeted by other students in the halls. Some were simple ‘hello’s’, and others were cheerful ‘what’s ups’, and occasionally, Hinata would get shy waves from girls in their grade, with blushes up to their ears and eyes downcast. Those were new.  
  
Tsukishima couldn’t have expected to be the only one to have his heart falter at Hinata’s new appearance. Of course not. That didn’t stop the mild possessiveness that would flare up in his chest anyway. Yes, he was too shy to confess but _Hinata was his dammit_.  
  
It all comes to fruition when Hinata shows up 10 minutes late for the first time to afternoon practice on an unsuspecting Wednesday. All of them are already in the gym warming up by the time Hinata comes stumbling into the gym, bowing apologetically to the coaches and bouncing on one leg while he tries to get his volleyball shoes on as fast as possible.  
  
“Getting scolded after class for bad grades maybe?” Tsukishima jeers, stretching his arm over his head.  
  
Hinata glares at him but doesn’t reply, instead opting to finish slipping his shoes on and jogging over to the pack of 3rd years to start stretching as well. “I got a confession,” Hinata mutters quietly to the 3 of them, ears slightly tinged red.  
  
It took a second for it to click. “Eh?” Kageyama sniffs.  
  
“Who was it?” Yamaguchi asks eagerly, “Did you say yes?”  
  
Tsukishima can’t seem to will himself to say anything, but he stares at Hinata in anticipation for is answer.  
  
“It was Airi-chan. And no, I said no,” Hinata scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.  
  
“Hirose Airi?!” Yamaguchi’s eyes just about pop out of his head, “She’s popular! What did you do to get her?!”  
  
She was popular, and one of the cutest girls in their year. Tsukishima’s gut flipped at the thought. If people as popular as Hirose were crushing on Hinata, what chance did Tsukishima have? Well he didn’t have a chance to begin with.  
  
“I didn’t _do_ anything,” Hinata insists, “You make me sound so seedy. It’s not a big deal anyway. I said no, so it’s done with. I don’t know why you’re freaking out, it’s not like I get as many confessions as Tobio or Kei.”  
  
“Oh, but you will,” Yamaguchi says teasingly, poking Hinata in the side, causing the redhead to yelp.  
  
They’re called in to start practicing before much more could be said on the topic.  
  
  
After practice, Yamaguchi mistakenly brings it up in the locker room again which gets the underclassmen in on it too, hounding the poor ace about the whole ordeal. They’re all absolutely losing their minds on how _the_ Hirose Airi has feelings for their super ace, but eventually Hinata is allowed to slip away after shunting most of the questions and he’s quick to catch up to Tsukishima who is already halfway out of the school gate.  
  
“Wait up, Kei!” Hinata wheezes, and Tsukishima slows down a little bit to allow the redhead to catch up as he runs with his bike in tow.  
  
“Why didn’t you just ride your bike to catch up,” Tsukishima points out, only half-suppressing a sneer.  
  
“Oh,” Hinata sighs as the realization hits him, “Didn’t think about that I guess, whoops.”  
  
“And here I thought glasses were supposed to make you smarter,” Tsukishima scoffs. Maybe he’s lashing out a little because deep down he wishes it was him that had confessed to Hinata today, not Hirose.  
  
Hinata kicks him lightly in the ankle with a huff.  
  
They walk in moderate silence for a few minutes and it’s obvious that Hinata wants to say something. The boy is quite literally kicking pebbles on the road and it’s a little pitiful to watch.  
  
“Spit it out,” Tsukishima sighs.  
  
Hinata looks like he’s about to protest but the blonde shoots him a pointed look and his shoulders all but deflate. “I just— I don’t know,” Hinata flounders, “I feel bad for turning Airi-chan down.”  
  
“Why? You didn’t like her,” Tsukishima pauses, “Did you?”  
  
“Well I know she’s really pretty and I also know that everyone told me it was a mistake to reject her, but she didn’t make me feel, _pacha-pacha_ you know?” Hinata’s brow furrows and he pantomimes his onomatopoeia with his hands as if that’ll make Tsukishima understand more. It doesn’t, but it’s still cute.  
  
“ _Pacha-pacha?_ ” Tsukishima squints. He’s fallen for someone with zero vocabulary. But what’s new.  
  
“Just like— I know I don’t like her like that,” Hinata explains, “I know what it feels like when I like someone, and that feeling isn’t there for her.”  
  
Tsukishima swallows, letting the statement settle down in his brain. “So, you have liked someone then?” he tries.  
  
“Well yeah,”  
  
“What about now?” Tsukishima’s heart is pounding and his mouth is dry but he can’t help himself. He’s peering down at Hinata and it’s like staring into the sun but he can’t seem to tear his gaze away; he needs to see the look on his face when he answers. Tsukishima doesn’t know if he wants Hinata to answer yes or no. If it was no, that would mean at least he didn’t like anyone else. It also meant that Hinata definitely didn’t like him. If it was yes, Tsukishima had something of a chance, though who was he kidding, he had no chance at all. It could mean that Hinata liked someone that wasn’t Tsukishima and that kind of made him want to die inside a little. He’s about to rescind his statement, but Hinata makes an inquisitive noise; a little hum in thought.  
  
“Hmm. Maybe,” he shrugs, fiddling with the breaks on his handlebars a bit. For once, his face is a unreadable, “What about you Kei?”  
  
The question startles Tsukishima although he probably should’ve seen it coming. Hinata was ever the nosy one— not that he could really say anything now. “Why do you care?” he retorts, growing prickly out of defense. He shoves his hands in his pocket and his shoulders slump a bit; he’s curling in on himself.  
  
“Because I don’t want my sweet Kei stolen away from me so soon,” Hinata croons devilishly. Tsukishima’s stomach flips. _He’s teasing me_.  
  


* * *

Hinata may have a brand spanking new look and attitude, but at the end of the day, he is still is, and forever will be— for a lack of a better word— dumb as rocks. Sure, he’s definitely improved since his first year, but volleyball still took up the majority of Hinata’s cognitive functioning skills.  
  
It’s lunch hour and it’s just Tsukishima and Hinata today— the others were off doing different things— and it was comfortable; this was nothing unusual for the two of them. They’re sharing a desk, sitting across from one another and it’s calm and they’re absentmindedly eating from each others’ lunch boxes like its one big lunch box. It’s a good day. Hinata is just finishing swallowing his mouthful before he plants his elbow on the desk, cradling his chin in his palm and leaning forward. He’s so close and suddenly all Tsukishima can focus on is the amber of Hinata’s eyes behind his frames and the heat rising in his own body.  
  
“Kei, can you help me?” Hinata asks simply.  
  
_If by help he means help kiss the living daylights out of him then ye—_  
  
“With what?” he manages to deadpan, averting his eyes to stare out the window to his left.  
  
“My test next week,”  
  
_Ah._  
  
“Why not ask Yamaguchi or Hitoka?” Tsukishima asks pointedly.  
  
“Because I wanna ask you,” Hinata shrugs. Tsukishima knows that the simple statement probably has no special underlying meaning, but he can’t help the way his heart jumps into his throat at the notion of being thought of first.  
  
Tsukishima usually says no. Regardless of his all-consuming feelings for Hinata, it was plain as day how much the redhead sucked at academics and Tsukishima only had _so much_ patience afforded to him by god. The refusal is on the tip of his tongue but he pauses for a moment. Maybe it’s because Hinata’s face is less than a foot away from his own and Tsukishima can really see the tiny freckles dotting the boy’s face and how soft and thick his eyelashes look behind his frames. Or perhaps it’s the fact that Hinata smells _oh so goo_ d— like cinnamon and apples, or maybe even that Tsukishima’s crush may be much larger than he originally concluded it to be; but before he can surmise just what it is, the, “okay,” is slipping from his lips.  
  
Hinata’s face lights up and he absolutely beams for Tsukishima, and for a second the blonde thinks _maybe it’s okay to succumb once in a while_.  
  
  
They’re walking home side by side later that day after practice, heading to Hinata’s house when the redhead goes, “Ah!” and his face dawns with some sort of realization.  
  
“What?” Tsukishima raises a brow.  
  
“I forgot to mention that there’s a new bakery that just opened up close to my house and I heard their cakes are super good, so I wanted to treat you to some,” Hinata explained, “I know you like sweet stuff so that was supposed to be my bargaining chip in case you said no to helping me study, but I forgot.” Hinata huffed a little and shook his head at his own stupidity.  
  
As if Hinata wasn’t sweet enough already for Tsukishima.  
  
_Okay, gross._  
  
“That sounds good,” Tsukishima hummed. He was kind of reeling at how Hinata knew the best way to get him to go along with things was to appease his terrible sweet tooth.  
  
  
They make a quick stop at the bakery in question, not two minutes from Hinata’s house. Tsukishima stands back while Hinata chats amicably with the cashier and he tells her, “This is my friend Kei that I was telling you about.” Tsukishima wonders what the redhead had said to her about him. Hinata orders a slice of strawberry shortcake for each of them, and they’re soon on their way.  
  
They arrive at Hinata’s house a few minutes later and the stillness in the air tells him that nobody is home.  
  
“Let’s go to my room,” Hinata ushers him up the stairs. Tsukishima had only been here a handful of times, but enough to know where his friend’s room was. The warmth of Hinata’s hand on his back as he guided him up the stairs was definitely welcome though. At the top of the stairs and to the right is Hinata’s room and it’s surprisingly clean. It had also been clean the other times Tsukishima had dropped by, and it was a bit jarring then as well. Such a tidy room was somewhat unbefitting of Hinata’s boisterous personality, although he was a bit more tame nowadays.  
  
Hinata’s room smells like the cinnamon and apples that sometimes graces Tsukishima’s senses when the smaller boy passes by close enough and Tsukishima lets himself be swallowed up by the warm scent, suppressing the relaxed smile that tries to come to life on his face. After dropping his bag on the floor and the small boxes of cake on the low table in the centre of the room, Hinata runs off to get them forks. Tsukishima plops himself down on the floor by the table and takes the room in. It’s about the same, save for a set of weights by the bottom of Hinata’s bed and a string of photos that the boy must’ve put up. There’s five or six photos; Hinata in each of them, smiling with different people. One is of their first year and Tsukishima almost curls in on himself at the sight of his asshole first-year self. Another is of Hinata hugging a bashful looking Kozume. Hinata even has a few of their friend group: Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Hitoka, Hinata, and himself. It makes Tsukishima feel warmth bubble in his chest.  
  
Hinata returns to the room a minute or so later with forks, little plates, napkins, and some juice. Tsukishima has to bite his lip in order to hide the eager smile spreading on his face at the prospect of cake _._ The smaller boy must’ve caught it— much to Tsukishima’s chagrin— because he’s a bit more hasty while he moves the slices of cake onto the plates he’s set out. Once finished, he slides a plate over to Tsukishima with a, “Here.”  
  
They eat in relative but comfortable silence and the cake _really is_ good. Tsukishima is eating in small bites and trying to strategize if eating the strawberry on top was better to do now or at the end and his face must have scrunched up because after a moment he spares Hinata a glance, just to see the redhead giving him a funny look. “What?” he murmurs around his fork.  
  
“Nothing,” Hinata shrugs, offering a lopsided smile, “You just look cute when you’re eating things you like.”  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks. Usually his tone would be sharper, but he’s really enjoying this cake and _Hinata called him cute_.  
  
“Dunno,”  
  
“Too late, you already said it, so explain yourself,” Tsukishima presses.  
  
“Well like— you get this calm relaxed face when you’re eating your favourite food,” Hinata explains, “Like when Tobio gave you his apple hi-chew the other day, you got the same face. And you eat in these tiny little bites. It’s cute.”  
  
Hinata is anything but articulate but it gets Tsukishima’s heart hammering in his chest easily enough. “If I eat smaller bites, I get to enjoy it for longer,” he sputters. He knows his logic is flawed, but it’s been a habit since he was a kid.  
  
“I know I’m stupid, but I’m pretty sure that’s not scientifically sound,” Hinata teases, “But you can have my strawberry if you want.”  
  
“Wha— no that’s your-” Tsukishima protests, but Hinata has already forked over his strawberry with a smile. For this singular strawberry, Tsukishima wants to kiss Hinata. Hell, he’d do it for free. But he doesn’t.  
  
They finish their cake slices shortly after and move to tutoring. Tsukishima has to swallow down the growing need to kiss Hinata. He has to shake away the thought of what it would feel like to let Hinata push him down onto the floor and have his fingers tangled in red locks; to taste the remnants of strawberry on the boy’s tongue and to push away those _stupidly cute_ glasses so he can stare into this foggy eyes and feel them pierce his soul.  
  
  
Hinata needs help with English, so Tsukishima obliges. When Hinata leans in a little closer so they can both easily look at his notebook, Tsukishima is suddenly glad that English is one of his better subjects and has thus landed him here, with his crush so close and their knees bumping every now and then. Tsukishima is pleased and a little shocked to see how easily Hinata picks up the material after explaining. In previous years, the boy had been a frustrated mess and never took the time to try again if the concept didn’t make sense the first time. However, he’s more patient now, so things go a lot smoother than Tsukishima originally anticipates and they’re done after a couple of hours. The blonde had been hoping that he could drag their tutoring session on a little longer, but other than helping Hinata, he couldn’t really muster a good enough excuse to stay.  
  
Tsukishima is packing up his things to leave when Hinata asks, “Do you have to go already?”  
  
“Why?” the blonde flushes, “Do you still need more help?”  
  
“No, you’re a good teacher so I got it already. But we can still hang out right?” Hinata says simply, “Unless you have other stuff to do— or whatever.”  
  
“No there isn’t— I’m free,” Tsukishima sputters, letting his backpack slump back onto the floor and sitting back, resting on his hands.  
  
“Okay cool,” Hinata nods and checks his phone for the time— a little after six, “I think this cool nature doc is airing right now, and I was hoping we could catch it. That’s why I was trying to work so fast at the homework.”  
  
Hinata turns on his tv across from the table they’re seated at and truth be told, an ocean life documentary is just beginning to air. “Nice, we’re on time,” HInata coos. He scoots a little closer to Tsukishima and mirrors the taller’s sitting position; legs sprawled out in front of himself and leaning back on his hands with his fingers splayed. Their pinky’s touch and Tsukishima startles but doesn’t move away. A few minutes pass and Hinata hasn’t moved his away either.  
  
The documentary is about deep sea life and the evolution of species down there, but Tsukishima doesn’t register much else. The sun was setting and all Tsukishima could focus on was the blues and blacks of the ocean on-screen casting colours on HInata’s skin and reflecting on his frames. Hinata’s eyes were wide and shining with awe and his lips were parted and Tsukishima wanted to kiss him so bad it was _dangerous_. The touching of their pinkies should have been minuscule. It was just a touch— and barely at that— but to Tsukishima it was _everything_. It stirred the depths of his heart to tell him that this crush was real and could maybe never go away with something as simple as time. It also made him yearn for more. A simple brush of skin was enough to set him alight, and he knew anything on top of that would burn him all the more but, he wanted nothing more than to be on fire for this boy.  
  
The credits are rolling before Tsukishima knows it and Hinata’s eyes blink back to reality. “That was pretty cool, huh,” Hinata muses as he stretches after having sat so still for so long. On most days, the redhead was unable to stay still by any means but had somehow managed today— he was probably too entranced by the film. Either way, their hands had touched for the entire hour so Tsukishima was glad to save that information for overanalyzing later that night.  
  
Tsukishima moves to start tidying up their plates on the table but Hinata stops him with a hand, “Don’t worry about that, I’ll get that later. Lemme walk you home.”  
  
“It’s far,” Tsukishima protests.  
  
“So?”  
  
“Sorry, I forgot, aces don’t _get_ tired from long walks,” Tsukishima rolls his eyes. Hinata flicks his chest with annoyance, but grabs a sweater anyway.  
  
It’s about a twenty minute walk and Hinata brings his bike and walks it alongside Tsukishima. For ten of those minutes, Hinata gushes over the documentary and how cool and freaky deep-sea creatures are and Tsukishima nods along with his hands stuffed into his pockets.  
  
“Thanks for all the help by the way, I really appreciate it,” Hinata says earnestly after finally getting his rantings out of his system. It’s pretty much quiet outside, save for the scuff of their shoes on the pavement and the gears on Hinata’s bike rattling. Tsukishima had been busying himself with staring at the star-littered sky above, but he tilts his head to look at the boy beside him when he speaks.  
  
“No problem,” he replies briskly, “Besides, I got free cake out of it.” The cake _was_ good but Tsukishima would have helped Hinata anyway, even without it.  
  
“So you liked it?” Hinata beams. Tsukishima’s house is two or so blocks away by now.  
  
“Of course,” Tsukishima offers something of a smile, “Thanks for giving me your strawberry.”  
  
“We should go there again sometime then,” Hinata proposes.  
  
“Okay,” he nods, “We can bring Yamaguchi and the rest.”  
  
“Can we not? It can just be our thing,” Hinata murmurs, “If that’s okay.”  
  
“That’s fine,” Tsukishima replies as calmly as he can manage. Inside his head, alarm bells are ringing and he’s immediately in overthinking mode. _What the hell does that mean, ‘our thing’?! Was this an expression of interest? Romantic? Platonic?_  
  
Tsukishima is absolutely reeling and thankfully they’ve arrived at the end of his block. He just has to keep it together til he sets foot in his house. _Then,_ and only then can he scream his head off.  
  
“Actually,” Hinata pipes up. He stops in his tracks and sets his bike on its stand, “Can we stop for a minute?”  
  
“Sure?” Tsukishima replies uneasily, walking back a few steps so he’s beside Hinata.  
  
Hinata takes a deep breath and rubs his hands over his eyes a few times under his glasses before shaking his hands out at his sides. Tsukishima can’t get a read on him. “Here’s the thing, I like you— like a lot, Kei. Not just as friends, but as in I wanna kiss you. I’m pretty sure I’ve had a crush on you since second year or so and I wasn’t gonna do anything about it because there’s no way you’ll like me back but I can’t hold it in anymore and I wanna tell you just in case you like me back, even though you probably don’t—“  
  
“Stop,” Tsukishima breathes, “You like _me_?” Everything was spinning.  
  
“Yeah,” Hinata sniffs, “Don’t be a jerk about it, okay?”  
  
“Be a jerk? Wha— ” Tsukishima shakes his head fervently, “I like you too.”  
  
“Are you serious? Don’t joke around right now,” the redhead huffs.  
  
“Joke around? Look at my face, I’m really blushing right now,” he points to his face in disbelief.  
  
“It’s dark, I can’t really see,”  
  
“Okay, then here,” Tsukishima braves a step forward and takes both of Hinata’s hands into his own and squeezes them. He swoops down and shuts his eyes tightly and suddenly there are Hinata’s lips on his own. It’s clumsy and lasts barely two seconds but their glasses _do_ bump together, just like Tsukishima has imagined countless times and it’s the best thing he could ever ask for. His eyes open again and Hinata is looking straight at him. “I really, _really_ like you,” Tsukishima urges, “Like you can’t even imagine.”  
  
“Can’t imagine because I’m dumb?” Hinata asks indignantly. They’re still holding hands, so Hinata uses that to tug Tsukishima down and press a quick peck to his lips.  
  
“No,” Tsukishima kisses him again, “Can’t imagine because I like you more than anything in the world.”  
  
“So you’ll be my boyfriend?”  
  
Tsukishima gulps. “Yes, that would be— yes.”  
  
“Good,” Hinata hums, “You should probably head home, huh?”  
  
A few minutes ago, all Tsukishima wanted to do was head home. At the moment, not so much though. “I guess so,” he sighs, “Can I have another kiss?”  
  
“Yeah,” Hinata breathes, “Sorry that I suck though, I’ve never kissed anyone before.” Hinata kisses him again clumsily and a little longer than before. It’s obvious he’s an amateur— they both are— but the shorter boy is clearly learning, if the tell-tale hand cradling and guiding Tsukishima’s cheek is anything to go by. Curse his superb instincts. Hinata angles his head just the slightest bit and they slide together much easier and Tsukishima’s knees are _buckling_.  
  
When he pulls away, Hinata’s tongue swipes his bottom lip absentmindedly and Tsukishima face heats up as the realization hits him. Hinata is _hot_ , and he is his. God, he’s such a sap. Whatever. Worth it.  
  
“See you tomorrow,” Tsukishima mumbles before stumbling to his house on wobbly legs.  
  
“I’ll text you when I get home!” Hinata shouts, and then he’s on his way.  
  
When Tsukishima steps into his house, he toes his shoes off and murmurs a quiet ‘hullo’ to his mother before padding up the stairs to his room. Then, he flops into his bed and stuffs his face into his pillow. He screams into it while kicking his feet childishly.  
  
Hinata was into him all this time. Tsukishima really would’ve never guessed. Of course, he prided himself on his ability to read others, but perhaps he was too caught up in his own feelings. Also, he never once allowed himself to think that Hinata could ever like him back— false hope was bad. But now, none of that mattered; Hinata told him himself that he liked him. It felt surreal, and they had only kissed four times. They still had dates to go on, and hugs, and sleepovers, and _other stuff_. Tsukishima’s ears burned at the thought.  
  


* * *

They’re dating two weeks, and so far, it’s _good_. It’s also different. At first, Tsukishima is not exactly sure what to expect of Hinata as a boyfriend, but he willingly accepts anything that is given.  
  
They tell the team, as well as other close friends in order to get it out of the way, but they also agree early on not to engage in a ton of PDA— it’s not really their thing. If anything, it’s performative and neither of them really care to share those private versions of themselves with others. Instead, Tsukishima leaves little notes in Hinata’s shoe locker in the morning, or alongside the extra snacks he brings for his boyfriend. The notes are mostly nonsensical— little heart doodles that he scribbles during breakfast or a sentence pertaining to something about Hinata that Tsukishima likes. He also calls him Shouyou now and steals desperate kisses from him any time they’re alone. He can’t help it.  
  
In turn, Hinata will occasionally send a wink his way from across the court. Two years ago, this would have Tsukishima gagging and possibly looking for the nearest thing to throw at the boy, but now it has him fumfering like a lovesick idiot. Hinata also increases the amount of little touches he’d give Tsukishima during the day. They’re nothing extravagant but the heat of Hinata’s hand against the small of his back or waist when he sidles past him in the club room, or the subtle grip on his thigh during lunch renders Tsukishima helpless.  
  
It’s test season, so they really don’t see each other much more than usual, but they manage a date or two to the bakery by Hinata’s house, and it’s more than enough to keep Tsukishima satiated.  
  
When alone, Tsukishima does his best to let his walls down and Hinata is patient. Tsukishima allows himself to be more touchy— to indulge himself. Occasionally they’d watch movies or read at either of their houses and there are times when all Tsukishima wants to do it rest his head on Hinata’s chest while they lay in bed or on the couch. Each day he’s shocked and grateful that he _gets_ to do these things now— it’s unbelievable. Even better, he gets to tell his boyfriend the things he’s bottled up for the better half of a year. He gets to tell Hinata how pretty his flaming hair is, and he gets to tell him how much his heart raced when he first saw Hinata in his glasses, and how much it makes his heart race now. He gets to comb his fingers through his locks and trace his tattoos with a finger. Sure, it makes Hinata’s face so red that Tsukishima fears he may explode, but the shorter boy doesn’t stop him and that makes Tsukishima glad.  
  


* * *

Before they know it, it’s summer break and it could not have come sooner.  
  
Ever since they had begun dating, Hinata was all the more flirtatious. He had never _had_ anything over Tsukishima’s head, but now he had the most powerful advantage, and the blonde couldn’t even deny it. Hinata _knows_ how bad Tsukishima has it for him— the blonde has whispered sweet confessions into his ear too many times to take it back now. As much as Tsukishima complains and puts on a sour face, deep down he’s relishing in the fact that he’s absolutely wrapped around Hinata’s finger and he could imagine no better place to be.  
  
Unlike last break, the two make much use of their time. They’re together almost every day; sometimes going out for dates, but most of the time just lazing in either of their houses gorging on snacks, playing video games, or just laying together and talking. Tsukishima is a homebody and Hinata adjusts to that and mellows out accordingly.  
  
“You’re okay that we’re not going out all the time?” Tsukishima asks worriedly one night while they’re having a sleepover at his house. They’re seated on the couch and Hinata just finished his shower and Tsukishima was drying the redhead’s hair with a towel. The boy smells like a mix of Tsukishima’s soap and his own natural scent and it makes something swirl in depths of his chest.  
  
“Of course,”  
  
“You’re sure?” Tsukishima murmurs. He sets the towel aside on the edge of the couch and leans in to place his nose in Hinata’s damp unruly hair. He presses a kiss while he’s there. “I just don’t want you to get bored with me.”  
  
Hinata turns around and sidles himself in Tsukishima’s lap, “I’m never bored when I’m with you. How can I be when I’m dating the hottest boy I’ve ever met? You’re funny and cool and surprisingly sweet. Even napping with you is fun.” The shorter boy takes Tsukishima’s face into his hands and kisses his lips once quickly, then again for a little longer.  
  
“Hottest boy you’ve ever met?” Tsukishima snorts.  
  
“Yeah,” Hinata nods. He’s serious. Tsukishima goes red.  
  
They go to sleep a few hours later. Tsukishima’s head is rested on Hinata’s chest and he can hear his steady heartbeat underneath his thin sleeping tee. This is happiness.  
  


* * *

Hinata comes charging into his room on a Saturday morning. “Kei, get up!” Hinata exclaims, launching himself onto his sleeping boyfriend’s form. Tsukishima lets out a groan.  
  
“What time is it?” he squints at the clock on his wall but he can’t quite make it out and his glasses are out of reach.  
  
“A little after 9, now come on, let’s go!” Hinata pats Tsukishima’s cheek a little to get him moving. Tsukishima wonders what the hell he has to be up for, but then he remembers _ah, it’s that Saturday_. It’s the summer festival and they had made plans to go together alone. They had asked the rest of their friends but they had all said no; Yamaguchi was going with Oikawa, Hitoka was going with her friends, and Kageyama was out of town visiting relatives. Tsukishima knew they were to going see the festival today but he had no idea why they were going this early.  
  
“Can’t we nap a little?” he whines a little. His voice is laced with sleep and he hopes that’s enough to tug Hinata’s heart strings to get him to join him under the covers. He could use a nap with his blurry, stunning boyfriend.  
  
“Kei, turn over for me,” Hinata cooed. He groaned into his pillow. “Kei, baby, I wanna see my pretty boyfriend’s face,” Hinata prodded, easing the boy slowly onto his back. Tsukishima lets himself be turned over, but immediately throws an arm over his face to cover his embarrassed grin and red-tinted cheeks. _Baby_. Tsukishima was butter and he was melting beneath his boyfriend’s warm thighs on either side of his waist. Between his fingers, he could see a wolfish grin appearing on Hinata’s face as he realized what his words were doing to Tsukishima’s fragile heart. “My sweet, sweet Kei,” Hinata purred, placing a kiss on his wrist covering his face. Hinata removed his arm easily, and placed it at his side. He pressed a kiss to Tsukishima’s forehead, “my love,” dotted two on his cheeks, “baby,” another on his nose, then a final one on his lips, “my Kei.” When he pulled away, sitting up straight to peer down at Tsukishima, his eyes glinted with satisfaction. Tsukishima shot a glare up at him but it lacked any malice— easily overcome by the blush colouring his neck and face and up to the tips of his ears. Hinata is too romantic for his own good. His heart was hammering in his chest and he bets that Hinata could feel it. The redhead leans over him to grab Tsukishima’s glasses off of his night stand and places them on his boyfriend’s face.  
  
When his vision clears, his heart stutters. Every time he sees Hinata, it’s like falling in love all over again. His flaming hair catches the sunlight pouring through is window and his eyes are piercing as they meet his through his frames. He’s beautiful. His form is wider and firmer than it was the year previous and the weight on Tsukishima’s chest is something he cherishes. It’s sturdy and reassuring. While he stares, Hinata intertwines their fingers without a word. It’s warm and a little rough, but it’s everything he’s ever wanted. “Okay,” Tsukishima sighs, “I’ll get up.”  
  
Hinata’s eyes widen and his whole face brightens up and Tsukishima makes it his mission to see that face as much as possible.  
  
Hinata waits on his bed while Tsukishima goes through the motions of his morning routine; washing his face and brushing his teeth, then picking an outfit for the day. Now that he’s fully awake, the blonde glances at Hinata seated on his bed while he cards through his drawer for some jeans. He sucks in a sharp breath when he sees his outfit. It’s simple— a white tee with the sleeves slightly rolled tucked into black jeans that are kept up with a leather belt and a chain attached to the belt loops— so Tsukishima’s knees _shouldn’t_ be buckling, but the way Hinata’s shoulders look so broad in the shirt, and the way his glasses sit cutely on the tip of his nose, and the way the jeans hug his thighs leave him little choice. He eyes a few bobby pins slipped into Hinata’s hair by his temple and _wow, he loves him_. Before he knows it, Tsukishima has crossed the room and is enveloping Hinata in a hug pushing both of them down into the mattress and burying his nose into the junction between the redhead’s neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply.  
  
“Wh— ” Hinata spluttered as the air was squeezed out of him.  
  
“Love you,” Tsukishima mumbles into his skin. He knows this relationship in the grand scheme of things wasn’t all that long so far, but seeing as he’s pined for this boy for much longer, he knows it’s true.  
  
“Eh?” Hinata breathes, then quickly amends, “Love you too, Kei.” He presses a kiss onto the side of Tsukishima’s head because it’s all he can reach under his boyfriend’s weight.  
  
“Mm,”  
  
“So are you gonna put some pants on or is this the outfit for today?” Hinata asked, grinning.  
  
_Ah, right_. Tsukishima was still picking pants when he was overcome with the need to hug Hinata, so he was still in his briefs on top of his boyfriend. “Right, pants,” he hummed, separating himself from Hinata and stumbling back to his drawer.  
  
Ultimately— with Hinata’s help— he decides on a brown t-shirt tucked into jeans and a honey-ed cardigan on top because it’s morning and he runs a little colder than Hinata and the redhead says the cardigan matches his eyes, so who is he to refuse?  
  
  
They eat a quick breakfast afterwards and are soon on their way, walking the few blocks to the park where the festival was being held hand-in-hand. The morning air is a little chilly, but the warmth of Hinata’s palm pressed in his is enough.  
  
Although it’s late morning, the festival is bustling; the square filled with eager vendors and townspeople. Hinata pulls him to the stalls and Tsukishima follows along with a smile on his face. The summer festival happened every year, but Hinata’s face is still awestruck and he’s excited to see everything there is to see.  
  
They eat a small lunch on the grass and watch a performance by their town’s local traditional dance group. Hinata marvels at them and gushes to Tsukishima as if the blonde isn’t watching the same performance. It’s endearing though and Tsukishima nods along and clasps Hinata’s hand softly. After lunch, they walk around some more, running into other friends and having short conversations before continuing on their way. When the sun is particularly high in the sky, Hinata stops Tsukishima and slathers a bit of sunscreen from his bag onto the blonde’s face. Hinata’s face is scrunched up in concentration while he smoothes the lotion over his boyfriend’s face and Tsukishima has to stifle a laugh. There’s more performances scheduled throughout the day, so they make sure to catch those as well.  
  
Soon enough, the sun is set and Tsukishima wonders how the day went by so fast. In times previous, he didn’t really enjoy days out much— they were a bit tedious in his opinion and walking around all day was tiring. Now though, he only feels warm and the small ache in his feet is just a reminder that he got to spend the entire day with Hinata, so he doesn’t mind in the slightest.  
  
They’re seated on the grass again and the fireworks show has just started. There’s other people seated on the grass as well but luckily they’re far enough away to feel alone. Hinata’s glasses are pushed up and sitting atop his head as he stares in awe at the colourful explosions in the sky. The colours paint his skin and suddenly Tsukishima understands how Hinata can just _stare_ at things that amaze him, because Tsukishima is doing that now. After a moment, Hinata turns his gaze and their eyes meet. Tsukishima sucks in a quick breath at being caught, but reminds himself that he’s _allowed_ to do this kind of stuff now.  
  
“Am I more interesting to look at than the fireworks?” Hinata questioned, his tone earnest.  
  
Hinata’s eyes are piercing, even in the dark and Tsukishima has to swallow before answering. “Yes,” he admits.  
  
Suddenly, Hinata has crossed the space between them and has a hand on the ground behind Tsukishima to support himself and his other hand tipping the blonde’s chin up with an index finger and a thumb. Then, he’s pressing his lips onto Tsukishima’s and all the blonde can do is let his eyes flutter closed as he lets out a pleased sigh and grips Hinata’s shirt in his hand, pulling him closer. The kiss is tender and Hinata makes sure to be slow and coaxing because it’s Tsukishima’s favourite type of kiss. He’s never said it aloud, but Hinata can tell easily.  
  
When Hinata pulls away, Tsukishima _whines_ and his ears burn at the sheer embarrassment of the sound he just let out. Not like he could control himself.  
  
“Good?” Hinata hums and their noses are touching. With Hinata’s glasses on top of his head, Tsukishima can gaze into his boyfriend’s amber eyes unabashed and undisturbed by the reflection of lights around them. It’s magnetic and Tsukishima can’t bear to look away.  
  
“Yeah,” he breathes, his voice catching in his throat. _God_ , he’s a mess. “Really good.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first haikyuu fic, hope u enjoyed : )) kudos and comments are appreciated ♡


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